Training speed and drive

[BeezSK]

What are some good ways to speed up your dog's drive to the equipment? My dog is to the point now where she knows all the obstacles by name but most of the time it seems like she is jogging rather than sprinting towards them. What training tips should I try to get her to pick up the pace?

[stockdogranch]

Sounds like she's not that enthusiastic about what she's doing--maybe she just flat out doesn't care for agility,

Anna

[BeezSK]

No, we've been doing this for over a year now. She is always excited and willing to get out on the field to do this with me.

Next suggestion?

[MaggieDog]

Hey let me know if you can solve this issue - my girl is the same way: happy to be out on the field but trotting rather than running.

 

For us I think some of the speed issue is that she was corrected (just verbally btw) for mistakes in early training so she's more concerned about running clean than speed since that what was rewarded heavily early on.

 

We're in a lower level agility class right now so we can work on drive - I'm having some success w/ short sequences w/ rewards at the end (marking good speed during) and keeping her busy w/ tug or tricks while we wait. I think she also tends to get bored easily, hence the fun things to do during down times.

[kelpiegirl]

When I train agility, from the start we go fast. Yes, it may not be the in thing now, but it has worked for me and mine. If you train attention, and then the agility at a good clip and have a dog who loves toys, you can have a speedy pup.

If you have already gone through the training and have a slower dog, you can address this through retraining what agility is about. Stop working sequences/contacts, stop working period. Take your dog out and ignore the equipment- in fact run by it. Your dog may want to do it, and if they jump a jump with nothing but a grin on their face- and without a care- THAT is what you want. Make a game out of it- see who can get there first. ONly do it a couple of times each day.

If your dog loves a toy- use the toy as a reward- say after the weaves- throw in a jump or a tunnel and throw the toy past that last obstacle. They really need to relearn that agility is not really "work" but a race with their human Of course the muckety mucks would chastise me for that, but that is the best way I can define it

Julie

[MaggieDog]

lol Julie @ "muckety mucks" I like how you think, and I think I'll prob start my next dog like you do. I only wish I had a field of equipment to have Maggie play around right now!

 

I am also in the process of bringing my fiance into the agility fold - Maggie likes racing him.

[BeezSK]

Thanks for the tip Julie, I think you may be on to something. We work outside in the summer in a big field but winter time we're stuck in the basement of a library so we focus on handling and contacts during that time. She was much faster at the end of summer than she is now, perhaps we just need to race around and go crazy again.

[kelpiegirl]

Yeab- stop training, and have fun. It is all about that you know

These dogs are very bright, and they do retain much of what we have taught them. The two dogs that I run in agility, only get trained occasionally, at the most 3 times for 5 mins the week before a trial. Once they got it, they just need a brush up.

Julie

[Tassie]

Does your dog like a tuggy toy? Some of the trainers that I've seen (either in real life or on DVD), and that I really admire, use a tuggy as a motivator, to get the dog really wound up - then either throw it yourself, or have a helper throw it - e.g. over a jump, or out of the end of the tunnel, and race to the dog and have a mad game of tuggy.

 

I'm one of the 'train-em-at speed' brigade - mainly because I have a fast girl, and I didn't like what I think I would have had to do to slow her down. What I'm finding now is that she knows what the game is about, and is paying more attention to me anyway - which is good news and bad news - puts more onus on me to try to get my handling right.

 

And yes - the main thing IMHO is to have FUN!

[RaisingRiver]

Like Tassie suggested, use a toy if your dog has drive for that. For my BC it's a tennis ball. I use a mini one and toss it through a tunnel. She whizzes right through. Then I release her and throw the ball not through the tunnel, but on the outside so she gets it when she comes out. Then I ask for her to do tunnel and then jump. Then she gets the ball at the end of the jump. (ie. tunnel, commits to jump, sees ball flying as she finishes jump).

 

My GSD/Chow LOVES agility but absolutely refuses to run. She jogs the whole course.

[agilebrainz]

Eyes have checked out ok? Some dogs with vision problems trot.

 

Is your dog a pull or a push dog? If the dog likes to have you in front, don't rear cross. If he is a push dog, don't front cross. Which isn't to say never do those crosses; just pay really really well when you take the dog out of his comfort zone.

 

Keep training sessions extremely brief, try not to do a lot of grids or drills, vary your toys and mix up types of food treats, celebrate often and unpredictably, even for the simple stuff like jumps (jumping is so under-rewarded) and the occasional tunnel. Start and end practice sessions with play. Fun is as fun does so act like you are having fun yourself and since its very hard to fool dogs about our moods, let it actually BE fun for you. Chase your dog around the course without doing any obstacles for while. Let him chase you. Goose him in the butt lightly if he can handle it. Have a highly rewarding, no pressure short pre-practice/pre-trial ritual that you always do the same way every time, so the dog can find confidence in that.

 

Most of all, practice mistakes. Yup. You will make them so make them now and practice your reaction to them so that it does not exhibit to the dog in a negative way, since that will make him/her so very careful about doing it better/slower/more carefully next time.

 

Good luck, hope some of this helps.

[Rosanne]

I've had the best success speeding dogs up with just breaking down, similar to what's been suggested. Rev them up real good, do ONE obstacle, even one jump, and then either throw the toy or RUN away from it really fast for a few steps, so the dog picks up on the hint that they are going to come away fast, so they will start going in and doing it faster too. . .

 

My younger female I actually trialed younger becuase other dogs excited her, and the excitement of a trial just about doubled her speed! She only barely knew weaves and contacts, but boy did it work wonders. If your dog stresses down at trials that won't work well though.

 

Sometimes just building confidence can speed them up too.

[diane allen]

Better yet - as implied but not really explained: build drive OFF the agility course. Play the race game (yes, even in the living room in winter!): target (can be a paper plate or cottage cheese container lid) with REALLY yummy food; hold dog back, say "ready? ready? ready?" in increasing intensity, then even throw the dog back (gently of course!) a bit, then RUN to the food. She wins, she wins, then YOU win, bet the next time she wins hands/paws down.

 

You can transition to toys and on course - gradually.

 

Another suggestion: read Susan Garrett's Shaping Success. She explains some really simply "GO!" games (1-2-3) much better than I can here!

 

Having had two slower dogs - I feel your pain! But I now believe that most dogs who are NOT in pain and seem to enjoy the sport CAN be motivated to be faster. Wish I'd known that back then....

 

Good luck!

 

Diane